about this book (and more)

About the author. Benson Hines started serving college students in 1999, while attending Texas A&M University, and he has been involved in college ministry ever since. Following the research trip (August 2007 to August 2008), he continues to research college ministry, meets regularly with college ministry leaders, speaks to college ministers and college students, and blogs daily about college ministry at www.exploringcollegeministry.com. Ben also received his M.A. in Theology from seminary, after writing a hundred-page thesis on one verse!

About the yearlong road trip. Find out more about how I ended up on a yearlong college ministry exploration in Chapter 2 of the book! But you can also check out some details and answers to commonly-asked questions at the blog here.

The facts. Clearly, college ministries and campuses themselves can change rapidly. All facts in this book are included as reported to me during the trip (between August 2007 and August 2008). Please let me know about any inaccuracies. All photos were taken by Benson Hines on the yearlong trip. A complete itinerary of the trip’s activities can be found at www.exploringcollegeministry.com/itinerary.

Funding? The importance of the yearlong road trip has been confirmed as I’ve seen the impact it has had for college ministers and for college ministry as a field. But I’m still watching to see how God wants to provide the money the trip required. Finances will also help me continue to serve college ministers in other ways. If this book or my research is helpful to you, donations are always appreciated! Or, if you know someone who might like to invest in the future of college ministry in this way, please consider passing on this need.

Why an ebook? Why did I put this in a free ebook rather than talking to publishers about a standard book? Three considerations were key: availability, time, and creativity. I wanted this book to be as widely available as possible, so if cost might be a barrier to it spreading among Christians… then free is better! Also, I wanted to pass along these findings as soon as possible, and a self-published format allowed for that. Finally, I loved the opportunity to present pictures and other contents that might not make it into a traditional, “formal” book.

I do hope to publish (in standard book form) other findings and adventures. If you’d like to help that happen, one of the best things you can do is share this ebook with others! As more people value college ministry and want to learn about it (especially those outside of college ministry – like pastors and other Christian leaders), we’ll all have more chances to share our ideas.

Joining the cause. The best way to receive updates is to join the “Exploring College Ministry with Benson” Facebook Group. If you need to receive updates via email instead, let me know and I’ll add you to the list! Either way, I won’t spam you… you’ll get occasional updates as this project continues, as I take more trips, if I write more books, and when there are ways you might be able to join in! We’re all in this together, and we really can change the world as we help college ministry become better valued and better practiced.

The book’s lurking X. At nearly every campus, I took a picture of a red “X” (as in, “X marks the spot.”) A few of those pictures ended up in this book, and the particularly observant might find them! Through the year, the X also got filled with stickers from the various campuses, so be sure to check it out sometime. It’s pretty neat.

Reaching the Campus Tribes is for college ministers, pastors, parents, youth ministers, and others who care about impacting people in one of the greatest "hinge" moments of their lives - or who want to learn more about how that's happening around the country. After a yearlong road trip researching Christian college ministry around the U.S. - with 181 campuses, 44 states, and hundreds of interviews - Reaching the Campus Tribes reveals the surprising things I found... With lots of great pictures... And it's free.